Engine starting apparatus



' Aug. 29, 1933.

C. H. DAVIS, JR

ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 14, 1931 CUT OUT RELAY Patented Aug. 29, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS Application September 14, 1931 Serial No. 562,653

2 Claims. (01. 29036) 4 This invention relates to apparatus for starting an internal combustion engine and more particularly for engines used to propel an automotive vehicle which employs a clutch pedal and 5 gear shift lever.

It is the object of the present invention to provide means for automatically moving the clutch pedal into the clutch disengaging position and the gear shift lever into neutral positions at the time the engine is started.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the attached drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing:

The figure of the drawing is a wiring diagram illustrating the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, designates an elec- 20 tric motor which drives a screw threaded shaft 21 carrying a pinion 22 which screw threadedly engages the shaft 21 and is movable along said shaft into engagement with a stop 23 attached to the shaft and into mesh with the flywheel gear 24 of the engine. It will be understood that when the shaft 21 is rotated in the direction to crank the engine, the pinion will move along the shaft 21 into engagement with the stop 23, whereupon the motor 20 will crank the engine through the engaging pinion 22 and gear 24. The motor 20 has one terminal grounded at and the other connected with switch contact 31 engageable by a movable contact 32 which also engages a contact 33 connected by wire 34 with battery 35 grounded at 36. Contact 32 is actuated by a button 37 and is normally held out of engagement with the contact 31 and 33 by spring 38 bearing against a stationary part 39.

The switch button 37 is actuated by rod 40 carrying an armature 41 which cooperates with an electro-magnetic coil 42 connected with terminal 43 to which wire 44 leading to the ignition apparatus is connected. 45 designates an ignition switch connecting wire 34 to terminal 43. The other end of winding 42 is connected by wire 46 with terminal 47 of the generator 50 which is grounded at 48. A cut-out relay 49 connects the generator terminal 47 with battery 35. The rod 40 is provided with a hook 51 adapted to engage a projection 52 of a clutch operating lever or pedal 53 which is pivoted'at 54. A spring 55 attached at one end to rod 40 and at the other end to a stationary point 56 urges the rod 40 upwardly against a stop 5'7 thereby retaining the rod 40 in normal position.

The motor switch contact 31 is connected by wires 60 and 61 with switch contacts 62 and 63 located in the same plane with acontact 64 connected with a magnet coil 65 which cooperates with an armature 66 attached to a rod 67 insu- 60 latingly connected with at switch contact 68. The contact 68 is adapted to connect contact 64 with either of contacts 62 or 63. The rod 67 is connected with a gear shift lever 70 drawn by full lines in neutral position. The dot-and-dash line positions 70a and 70b indicate gear engaging positions of the gear shift lever 70.

To start the engine the operator closes the ignition switch 45 thereby rendering the ignition apparatus, not shown, operative to ignite the en- 70 gine fuel mixture. The closing of the ignition switch causes current to flow from the battery 35 also to the magnet coil 42 whose circuit is completed through wire 46, generator 50 and ground connections 48 and 36, the cut-out relay 49 then being opened. The magnet coil 42 thus being energized, the armature 41 is attracted downwardly to cause the rod 40 to move into engagement with the switch button 37, thereby causing the switch contact 32 to engage contacts 31 and 33 in order to complete the circuit between the battery 35 and the motor 20, and, at the same time, to cause the pedal 53 to be moved downwardly into clutch disengaging position due to the engagement of the "hook 51 of the rod 40 with the projection 52 of the lever 53.

As stated before, the operation of the motor 20 causes the pinion to automatically engage the flywheel gear 24 and then to crank the engine. When the engine becomes self operative the pinion 22 is automatically demeshed from the gear 24. When the engine starts operating on its own power, the voltage of the generator will oppose the battery voltage impressed on the coil 42. Consequently the current flowing through the coil 42 will be insufilcient to maintain the armature 41 in attracted position whereupon the motor switch will open and the motor-to-battery circuit will be interrupted. The motor cannot be operated during the running of the engine because the generator, even when turning slowly, will generate suflicient voltage to oppose the battery voltage impressed upon the coil 42 and thus maintain the current in coil 42 at a relatively low value.

In case the gear shift lever 70 is not in neutral position at the time the starting motor is operated to crank the engine, the gear shift lever will be automatically moved into neutral position due to the closing of the motor switch If the lever '70 is in the position of 70a, the contact 68 will engage contacts 63 and 64 thereby establishing the circuit to the magnetic coil 65, and the magnetic armature 66 will be decentered toward the left of said coil 65. Therefore, when the motor switch is closed a circuit will also be established through the coil 65 through the connections provided by contact 68 which engage contacts 63 and 64 at that time. The magnet coil 65, being energized, will draw the armature toward the right in order to move the lever '70 into neutral position and to separate contact 68 from contact 63 thereby interrupting the circuit to the magnetic winding 65. When the lever '70 is in position of 701), contact 68 will connect contacts 62 and 64 thereby establishing a circuit through the magnet coil 65 which becomes energized when the motor switch is closed. When this occurs the magnet armature 66 which has then been decentered to the right with respect to the magnet coil 65 will be attracted into a central position in the coil 65, thereby causing the lever 70 to be moved into neutral position and causing the contact 68 to be separated from the contact 62. Thus it is apparent that the gear While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Engine starting apparatus comprising, in combination, a storage battery, a generator for charging the storage battery, a starting motor, a transmission gear shift lever, an electromagnetic device for shifting the gear shift lever to neutral position, and manually controlled means for causing the starting motor and said.

electromagnetic device to operate, said device comprising an electromagnet winding and a switch for controlling the circuit of said winding and means operated by the shifting of the gear shift lever into neutral position for opening said switch.

2. Engine starting apparatus comprising, in combination, a storage battery, a generator, a cut-out relay for connecting the battery and generator, a transmission clutch pedal, a starting motor, a switch for connecting the battery and motor and electromagnetic means for actuating said switch and for moving the pedal into clutch disengaging position said means comprising an armature operating upon the switch and pedal and a coil connected at one end between the generator and cut-out relay, and a manually operable switch for connecting the battery directly with said coil.

CHARLES HALL DAVIS, JR. 

